short takes (3)

August 27, 1981

By David Sterritt

* The movie Arthur and the character Arthur suffer from the same sad failing: too much drink. Joke after joke, scene after scene expect us to be continually amused at the hero's inebriation, the chief result of which is a high-pitched giggle that becomes awfully annoying even in the talented mouth of Dudley Moore. There are some great gags, though, as Moore plays a ridiculously wealthy man in love with a "commoner." And John Gielgud does the best butler act in recent memory. The director and writer is Steve Gordon, showing a lot of promise (if not enough taste) in his debut film.